Hey guys, I’m looking into buying a refurbished Google Pixel 5 (I have couple of options between amazon and other stores), however I’m not entirely sure about the longevity of a refurbished phone.
Positive reviews are often left by people who just bought the phone, but most of the negative reviews I found were from people who used it for more than couple of months and it concerns me.
Price is good, I’m looking specifically into a Pixel 5 because of the size which is much smaller than my Galaxy Note 9 that I find really uncomfortable to use.
Thank you!
I haven’t done much reading into it, but something to consider is there was a post just recently that I saw someone mentioning that their pixel 4a was becoming unsupported very shortly. You may want to see when the scheduled EOL for the 5 is as that might influence your decision if that is sooner than you’d be hoping for.
Am I naïve for thinking that manufacturers stopping support for devices, then claiming it affects your safety, is just to sell more phones?
I always buy refurbished, currently running an S9 and I’m not even sure if it’s still supported. Recently retired a Nexus 10 from 2012 and had zero security issues in a dozen years
Am I naïve for thinking that manufacturers stopping support for devices, then claiming it affects your safety, is just to sell more phones?
Yes you are.
Vulnerabilities are constantly being found in the software stack used by Android, if you are running vulnerable software you’re increasing the likelihood of some malicious app (or website, file, etc…) taking advantage of the vulnerability. The consequences of vulnerability vary from being able to fingerprint your device when it’s not supposed, to escalateling privileges to root or even kernel mode. Although the later are significantly rarer.
and had zero security issues in a dozen years
That you know of… If the vulnerability is successfully exploited, the likelihood of you noticing are close to zero.
You could always flash a custom ROM to install the latest security patches, but you would still be missing the security updates for all the closed source components (such as the bootloader, device drivers, etc…). Not to mention all the security implications (good or bad) that comes with installing custom ROMs.
The consequences of vulnerability vary from being able to fingerprint your device when it’s not supposed, to escalateling privileges to root or even kernel mode
I’ll not pretend I understand the consequences 😂
What does that mean for the average user?
The Pixel 5 is my favorite phone I’ve used so far. Sadly the EOL for security and software updates is October 2023. Pixel updates
I love my current pixel 5. Ive had it for several years now, and the size is really nice. My battery is starting to show wear and the charge port doesn’t connect very well, although I probably just need to give it a good cleaning.
Unfortunately, Google will only push security updates until this October. Third-party OSes like Calyx or Graphine will keep the open source components patched as long as they can, but they can’t fix any bugs in the proprietary pieces.
Although its definitely more expensive, I keep thinking about grabbing a refurbished pixel 7 or 6, since google promises 5 years of security updates.
Great phone, good battery life, although I think there is an issue with Android 13 that shortened it some, not confirmed. I would be more concerned with the security and OS updates ending this October. Unless you intentions are to replace the OS with a Linux based one;
- LineageOS
- GrapheneOS
- CalyxOS
- e.foundation
Pixels are excellent choices if you go the Linux route, almost all of them are supported. Lineage and e.foundation use degoogled OS versions which means the google services are replaced with microg allowing you to still use all your favorite apps from the app store…and still get updates for the linux os and the apps.
How finicky is installing custom roms on refurbished Samsung phones or android phones in general usually?
I usually avoid refurbished phones even though the flagships offer better performance and value compared to buying the midrange and budget phones but the lack of software updates are something I’m concerned about. That said, if there was a more clear recommended OS to install I’d be willing to give it a try.
It’s not hard once you unlock the bootloader. That’s usually the most PITA part. Once you get past that stage it’s no different in difficulty as installing Windows on a computer.
The only downside is if you need Safetynet. I used to use Lineage on a Xiaomi Mi 5 and it worked great 99% of the time. The 1% of the time when Google updated Safetynet and Magisk (or I) didn’t update to get around it, it can be annoying, especially if you need to use banking or payment apps during that moment. The latter happened to me when I was trying to board the subway. XD
I’ve bought nothing but refurbished phones and tablets ever since my first of any of those a decade ago and they never broke.
You save so much money with a refurb, it’s ridiculous.
Me too, always from the manufacturer or someone reputable like Backmarket. If you buy the higher priced ones, they’ve likely come from someone who buy a new phone every year; they’re barely used and a third of the price
Was looking into buying Pixel from Backmarket as well! How was your experience with them and their phones?
I’ve had four now over five years with no probs. But like I said, buy the top end ones
